


The Gold That Makes Us Stronger

by kanoitrace



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Love Confessions, blake and yang finally have their talk, spoilers for v6ch12
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 22:12:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17475917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kanoitrace/pseuds/kanoitrace
Summary: Finally, after all is said and done and they're on the way to Atlas, Blake and Yang find time to talk and deal with all the things they hadn't yet had time for.





	The Gold That Makes Us Stronger

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, SPOILERS FOR V6CH12 AHEAD! 
> 
> Second, skipping straight over the fight that is surely coming in the finale to just get to that good, good bee content because let's be real, they won't really have time to talk about or deal with anything until after all that. 
> 
> Lastly, first time writing for RWBY, but I needed give these girls some love and this just sort of happened. Who am I to deny inspiration when it rears its alluring head? Also, unbetad, so all mistakes are mine.

They don’t really get to talk about any of it until they’re finally, _finally_ , on their way to Atlas. Legally, this time. And even then, there are other things to check in on first, and Yang hopes Blake understands that. Blake hopes Yang knows she does.

 

But finally, there’s time for them to continue where they left off.

 

“Hey,” Yang greets carefully, only able to to make eye contact in half second intervals.

 

“Hey,” Blake greets back, equally careful, but trying to constantly catch Yang’s sight each time.

 

Somehow, this seemed easier in the moment. Yang almost says as much, just to break the silence, but Blake beats her to whole talking thing.

 

“I’m sorry,” is what Blake says, not quietly or laden with guilt, but she says it all the same.

 

Yang finally makes eye contact for more than that half second, searching Blake’s eyes for answers. “For what?” she asks in disbelief.

 

Blake almost looks away but instead steels herself to maintain the gaze. “I said I could do it alone, and instead everything got messed up.”

 

Yang actually, physically recoils. She opens her mouth to argue. “That’s not-”

 

But Blake holds up a hand to silence her, and effectively it does. “I’m sorry the plan got screwed up because of me and my baggage. I’m sorry you had to fight him; that __I__ had to fight him; that we had to-” Blake chokes on the words for a barely imperceptible second before changing them. “I’m sorry he had to die. I’m sorry that you got hurt for me, and I’m sorry I ran and you got hurt __because__ of me. I’m sorry I kept everyone at arms length and didn’t trust them. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you.”

 

Yang wants so desperately to interrupt, to say her piece, but Blake’s hand remains up in a signal for silence, which Yang respects. This is obviously something Blake needs to say, and maybe it’s a little bit something that Yang needs to hear.

 

“I’m sorry I doubted you and pushed you away. I’m sorry that I ever had a time in my life that I trusted him instead; that I thought you would be anything like him and mishandle that trust.” Blake pauses, takes a breath as her cheeks turn pink and her eyes start to glisten with tears. She glances at Yang’s prosthetic, and Yang’s stomach sinks with what she knows is coming next. But Blake looks back to her eyes and says, “I wish I’d known you first.”

 

It’s like a punch to gut - surprising and stealing her breath away. It isn’t what she expected and it brings tears to her own eyes.

 

Blake’s hand starts to fall, but Yang catches it in her own on the way, with her flesh and blood hand. She’s held this hand so much in the past few hours, and it feels better each and every time. She looks down to where their hands are joined.

 

“Honestly,” she manages to say, voice catching ever-so-slightly at the back of her throat, “I’m kind of glad we didn’t.” She can feel Blake stiffen, and so she runs her thumb across the back of her hand and knuckles. “I lied a lot back then, to everyone, including myself. I insisted I was fine so much that eventually even I believed it.

 

“Yang,” Blake says, voice full of so many different emotions.

 

Yang leans forward until their foreheads touch. She breaths in through her nose and then offers a reassuring smile as she looks into Blake’s eyes. “I need say this, okay?” She can feel Blake nod, not breaking the contact, instead squeezing Yang’s hand tighter.

 

“I think it need to happen this way,” Yang says. “It sucks, so much happened. Everyone lost so much, but… have you ever heard about the practice of putting broken things back together with gold, so that they’re more beautiful than they were before? My dad told me about it. I think maybe-”

 

“Maybe that’s us,” Blake finishes for her, staring back and smiling.

 

Yang’s smile widens despite her, and she nods. “Yeah.” She looks back down to their hands, shifting her grip so that their fingers interlock.

 

The silence falls between them again, this one warm and safe, and it reminds Yang of simpler times, of things like lunches shared and rides together on bumblebee. It reminds Blake of dances and learning what it means to truly be a partner.

 

It’s almost an unconscious movement when Blake nuzzles against Yang, and she can feel the way the other woman’s skin warms under her own. “I heard what Adam said to you,” she says softly.

 

She can feel the skin on Yang’s forehead furrow as she says, “What?”

 

“About what do I see in you.”

“Oh.” Yang is at a loss for words, not sure quite what her response to that should be.

 

“At first, I saw all the things I wanted to be. You were strong and confident, you smiled without constraint. And then I saw the things I once thought I’d seen in Adam, a drive to protect and bring change, and it scared me. And then he showed up at Beacon, and-” Blake steps closer, grabs Yang’s other hand as well. “Yang, when you got hurt, I thought maybe I was the problem. Maybe Adam was right, and that it was all my fault.”

 

Yang tenses this time, hands moving of their own accord to pull free from Blake’s grasp to hold Blake’s face and make her partner look at her. “Blake, nothing he did was your fault. It was all him,” she says, desperate for Blake to believe her.

 

Blake places her hands over Yang’s and smiles her own reassuring smile. “I know that now, but back then…. Yang, I couldn’t stand the thought of you turning into him, so I ran. I thought you would be better off without me dragging you down.”

 

The tears start falling down Yang’s face now as she squeezes her eyes shut. “You didn’t. I needed you,” she chokes out. Blake moves her left hand to Yang’s face brushing the tears from her lashes, and Yang’s right follows after, just holding on but not moving.

 

“I know you did, and I’m sorry I ran,” Blake chokes out, her own tears dangerously close to spilling over. “But Yang, I’m not sorry I left. I needed to figure out who I actually was without either of you. I realized that I wasn’t weak, that I could protect you, too, just like you did me. I realized that for all the things about you that I envied, that reminded me of Adam, there were just as many that reminded me of myself. I realized that you weren’t invincible, that maybe you needed someone to care about you just as much as I did.”

 

Yang manages to open her eyes and look back into Blake’s, and the air between them fizzles with something electric.

 

“I was so scared that when I finally saw you again it wouldn’t be me you wanted by your side anymore,” Blake admits.

 

“I wasn’t sure I did, for awhile,” Yang confesses, “but then I saw you, and…. And Blake, I was just so glad you came back.”

 

“Yang,” Blake says, voice shaking but strong, “I promise, no matter what, I’ll always come back to you. You’re the gold that made me stronger, but more than that, you’re my partner and….” She takes in a rattling breath. “I love you, Yang.”

 

Yang wants to kiss her, has for a long time, if she’s completely honest, and she almost does, but she stops just shy. They’ve been through so much, broken down and built back up, remade into something stronger and more beautiful but still healing and fragile.

 

“I love you, too, Blake, but…”

 

Blake’s hand soothes across her face. “It’s okay,” she says. “We can take it slow, but Yang….” Yang searches the warmth of her eyes. “I do kind of wish you’d kiss me now.”  

 

And Yang wants the same thing, so she does. It’s soft and slow and chaste, but it cements something between them that has felt shaky and just out of reach since they reunited.

 

When the kiss ends, they continue to stand close, forehead to forehead, gazes locked and fingers running through each other’s hair. “We’ll figure it out together,” Yang says.

 

Blake nods. “We will,” she promises.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/kanoitrace), [Pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/kanoitrace), and to a far lesser extent [Tumblr](http://kanoitrace.tumblr.com/).


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